Once Upon A Time I Was Falling In Love
by Enula
Summary: Now I'm only falling apart. Belle considers crossing the line to forget everything she used to be. Rumbelle. My first OUAT story and the first story for my Dark Beauty collection.


_AN: I got inspired to write this after hearing Emilie's interview talking about how Belle may be showing a darker side to her as the season goes on. And also from different spoilers saying about Belle getting tired of Rumpelstiltskin not changing his ways. Keep in mind, I am a huge, full-fledged Rumbeller, but I get worried for them. What if Belle always has to be the one coming back to him? That could take a toll on anyone. Oh, and this also contains slight spoilers for episode 2, season 2. Be forewarned!_

**Once Upon A Time I Was Falling In Love**

**Now I'm only falling apart**

She stood on the outskirts of Storybrooke. Alone. There was a strong wind blowing, tossing dead leaves from the trees to the dark pavement beneath her feet. They scraped across the road like they were being pulled against their will. They wanted safety…but they were already dead.

Her dark hair blew across her face. The strands felt like icicles. She crosses her arms over her chest in a pathetic attempt to stay warm…but she was out of place. Out of place for the weather; autumn was well into play and it felt like rain, and she wore only a knee-length blue dress, a light cardigan, and heels. Out of place for the time; the darkened sky told of the end of day, and she shouldn't be out by herself. Out of place for the area; the trees that pushed and pulled against the heavy breeze outlined her way to another town. Another place entirely. Another state of mind.

It had been quite some time since the news spread about Sneezy crossing the line and believing he was no one other than Mr. Clark. The revelation of what happens to people who dare step outside of their prison put everyone in an uproar.

She had to stop and wonder why. Would any of them really leave anyway? They had never stepped foot out of Storybrooke before. _Cowards. _

The harsh word brought tears to the beauty's eyes. No. They weren't cowards. They were just worried that one of them may turn up at the wrong spot at the wrong time. Like her. What was she doing here?

Why was she there? Because she envied Sneezy…Mr. Clark. She didn't know too much about him before…she didn't know if he had anything to forget. Wanted to forget. But if he did…he found the perfect solution.

But did she want to forget? She was tired…so tired. She was tired of being trapped, of being lied to, of being hurt, of being in love with a man that makes so many wrong choices…

She felt a frigid leg take a step forward, her heel clicking against the road when she stepped back down. The single noise started an echo in the otherwise abandoned area. Then the wind blew, more harshly, and that too seemed to echo. And whistle and whisper.

_Go…start a brand new life outside of Storybrooke…outside of the Dark Castle…outside of difficult love._

Quoted the wind.

How dare he break his promise to her again. And again. And again. When would it stop? She had to ask herself a few times if he even realized he was doing it when he did it. He always told her he was sorry afterward. And he seemed sincere…except that he never specified what he was sorry _for. _

Sorry for breaking my word? Sorry for hurting you? Sorry for letting you down? Sorry for not being the man you want?

_But he is the man she wants._

And that's what makes it all so hard. Makes it hard to stay. Makes it hard to leave. Makes it hard to love, and to hate, and to breathe.

**_Turn around, every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming round…_**

The wind suddenly switched directions and smacked her across the face. The forbidding wind hurt her skin and it pained her to try to move her fingers. She felt tiny droplets of water splash into her hair and knew the storm was well on its way. She wondered if the raincloud was only over Storybrooke. Would it be clear and warm if she took that one, life-changing step?

Holding her head up higher, she began to walk briskly into the woods. Her body flushed with the ever raging wind as they battled for dominance. The wind didn't seem sure on whether to push her forward or pull her back. She wasn't sure which one she wanted, either.

But the rain knew what it wanted. And with every passing second, it fell harder and faster. It was still no more than a steady drizzle, but it stuck to her hair and skin like glue.

It caused her to stop. The edge of Storybrooke was still some distance away, and she wasn't even positive with what she wanted to do.

_But her heart hurt so damn bad…_

She stopped her movement. The echoing clicking sound abruptly silenced. The trees seemed to blow inward, capturing her in their canopies and branches.

She shivered and hugged herself tighter. This _was _a prison. An asylum. Her body was trapped, but her heart was lost. It could have been trapped, too. She didn't know…she didn't know.

A raindrop landed in her eye. She hissed through her teeth and rubbed a palm against her eye to release the irritation.

Thunder boomed in the distance.

She shouldn't be here…in the woods, surrounded by billowing trees during a thunderstorm. That was her excuse.

_Coward._

Angry at herself and the storm, she turned on her heel and began heading back towards town. The clicking of her heels kept her company, took her mind off of the angry sky.

Then she heard a noise behind her…a kind of slow swishing noise. A sound that slipped over the wet pavement…a vehicle. It was coming from behind her…which meant that one of the residents was near the border, or…

Someone was coming to Storybrooke.

**_Turnaround, every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears…_**

As she heard the slow moving vehicle come closer, her heart began to beat loudly in her ears. She felt the worry and terror fly through her veins like a spell, but she could do nothing except pull her wet cardigan tighter around her front.

The headlights were now upon her, so whatever plan she may have had about hiding behind a tree was useless.

She felt her legs pick up speed, but her body went slower. It was like a recurring nightmare where someone's chasing after you, and you want to run…God, do you want to run! But your legs are mush…they're not saving you.

_Save me…_

Her heart entered her throat when the car was right behind her. It must have only been going ten miles per hour. She clenched her jaw and looked down at the road, humming words that only her mind could understand.

_Keep going…keep going…_

The car came alongside her, and she heard a faint cranking sound. Her peripheral vision allowed her to see that the window had been rolled down.

"Excuse me, Miss?" A male voice called from inside the car. He sounded lost, confused, uncertain…

But she kept walking, knowing that town was only a few more steps away…

Despite her lack of response, the man tried again, "Excuse me, please. I don't know if I'm lost or not. Is this Storybrooke?"

_One does not come to Storybrooke by accident…_

Without stopping, without looking at him, she nodded, "You just passed a sign that said 'Welcome to Storybrooke'." She spoke with indignation. It was not so much directed at this disoriented man, but at herself for almost _envying _this man that could easily cross that border line without any worries of suddenly losing his memory or gaining new, unknown memories.

"Oh, I…I must have been looking down at my map when I passed it. Thank you."

The window was cranked up and he drove a bit faster to get ahead of her. She wasn't sure why, but this made hot tears swell behind her eyes. Those, mixed with the cold rain hitting her face, made her skin feel like it was on fire and she was just about to turn around again and run. Take off her heels and run. Run to the border and cross that red line without even thinking. She didn't want her memories to slowly fade…she wanted them zapped away.

**_Turnaround, every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by…_**

But before she could kick off her heels, the car squeaked to a stop. The red lights on the back illuminated the vicinity in an evil glare. She saw the driver's door fling open and a man step out, shielding his eyes from the rain as he tried to look at her.

"It's about to pour! Let me give you a ride to wherever you're going!"

A gentleman. Figures. Normally she would have accepted his offer in a heartbeat, but recently…that beat had taken a different rhythm and was often few and far between. So she didn't respond.

"Please," he sounded desperate, "I don't think my conscious will allow me to drive away without giving you a lift."

A gentleman with a conscious.

She sniffed, feeling her nose go numb. She finally looked straight at the man…watched him standing pathetically in the rain, waiting for a woman he didn't even know to get in his car so he could help her.

Because she never stopped walking, she reached his car quickly. But she didn't stop once she did. Though she did take the passing opportunity to really look at him. His soft, innocent eyes were what got her. Had she seen them before? Does she know him?

He saw that she was about to continue walking, "Please! The rain's already picking up!"

She finally felt a few tears slip from her eyes. She was hoping for another hero…someone she knew very well to come looking for her, to offer her to get in his car, to hold an umbrella over her head, to wrap his arms around her and hold her in the pouring rain.

But that wasn't going to happen. Because that wasn't how it worked. She a_lways _had to go back to him. _That _was how it worked.

Without even missing a beat, her body turned and went for his car. She went around the front, momentarily blinded by the headlights, then opened the passenger side door and slid into the cushion seat.

The heat was on which allowed her body to relax instantly. He slid back into the car and they both slammed their doors shut at the same time. Putting the car in drive, he began to ease down the beginning of Storybrooke.

"Where you heading?" he asked her, his voice calm and soothing in the enclosed proximity.

She didn't know. This wasn't part of her plan…to turn around. To be a coward and not leave Storybrooke.

"What are you looking for?" she asked instead, figuring she would decide her fate starting from his destination.

"You mean immediately or long term?"

She looked over at him, wondering what kind of question that was. It was dark in the car, but every time they passed a random streetlight, the beam danced across his face to reveal his slight stubble across his jawline and chin. His eyebrows weren't very bushy, but still very defined, and when he looked over at her, she saw how dark his eyes were.

**_Turnaround, every now and then I get a little bit terrified and then I see the look in your eyes…_**

"I'm not asking about your problems, sir," She responded finally, "I just want to know if you're looking for a place to stay or…or a person…or something to eat?"

He gave a breathy laugh, "A place to stay, I guess you could say."

"Hm…well, there's Granny's Bed and Breakfast. That's about all that's here."

"Great." He responded, and they sat in silence for a few moments. And then, "Is that where you're going, too?"

"Sure."

She saw him pull in his lips and look out his window briefly. He didn't like that answer. He still wanted to take her where she needed to go before the storm hit.

"You don't have to be nice," she informed him in a voice she hardly recognized, "You don't know me."

"What's your name?"

Again, she looked at him, wondering why he would ask such a deep question.

"What do I get if I tell you?"

She couldn't believe she just asked that.

But the man behind the wheel chuckled. Whether it was mirthful or not was debatable. He glanced over at her with a glint in his eyes that made her wonder what he was so amused at.

"You sound just like someone I used to know."

"Who?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me your name."

She pursed her lips. How did he turn the tables on her so quickly? And why was she so interested in knowing who she reminded him of?

But before she could truly comprehend it all, the syllable slipped passed her lips, "Belle."

"Ah," he responded, nodding his head, "The Beauty. So let me guess: you're in love with a monster of sorts and you're trying to break a curse that's been put on him?"

Belle's heart pounded once in her chest before stopping.

_Who in all the worlds would know such a thing as that…?_

"How did you know that? Who are you?"

"Not telling."

Again, she pursed her lips. Why was this man so familiar yet so…different? In the back of her mind, she realized they entered into the main part of Storybrooke. It wouldn't take long before they drove by the diner. This man would see the sign and not need to speak to her any longer. But she was _so _curious now…ever since the curse had been broken, no one has left or came to Storybrooke. And yet this stranger knows of her…

He saw that he disturbed her. Running a hand through his slightly bushy hair, he refused to tear his eyes from the road, "I'm looking for my father."

Belle blinked. She needed to step out into the cold rain again. She wondered if _he _was looking for her…was worried about her. The rain was starting to pound heavily on the roof of the car, the dinging and tapping replacing the silence.

His name was on her lips. Her mouth was pulled back to pronounce the first consonant. Her heart pounding in her ears matched the pounding on the roof.

"I guess this is it," he said suddenly, as the sign she predicted would appear soon came into view. He pulled over to the side of the road, almost right underneath the sign that said "Granny's Bed & Breakfast" and put the car in park.

"Are you sure I can't take you anywhere?"

Belle swallowed hard before letting the name spill from her mouth, "Rumpelstiltskin."

She sensed and saw his whole body stiffen. She was a smart girl…she knew that if the name meant nothing to this man, then he would simply dismiss it. But if it meant _something…_

"You…you know him?"

The question seemed ironic to her and she released a short yet loud laugh, but it only regenerated her tears. She felt a lump form in her throat and her mouth pull back from all the strength she was eliciting inside of herself to keep from crying.

"In a manner of speaking."

He was no fool…he saw how much she was hurting over this question. But it was so hard to wrap his brain around the…the utter irony of running into someone that seemed so connected to his father.

"Well…what are you to him?" He thought this question would be a bit easier, but once he saw her reaction, he knew it was that much worse.

She tried to release a few more strained laughs, but her insides weren't having it. She placed her knuckles over her mouth as she rested her elbow on the side of the door, her eyes clenching shut as fast tears slipped from her bright blue eyes. She sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to quickly regain herself before shakily, almost humorously, stating: "I'm his beauty."

If he felt shocked before, he didn't know what to call his turmoil now. He shook his head, opening his mouth slowly to try to say something intelligent, but he lingered too long.

She beat him to the punch anyway. First with an ironic chuckle and then: "And I don't even know your name."

He closed his mouth, his eyes softening for her but paining for himself. He never talked about him…

"Don't tell me," Belle told him, holding up her hand to stop him in case he was, "I…I need to figure it out on my own." She quickly opened the door and stepped out of the car, only then hearing the boom of thunder. She knew it probably wouldn't be long before the lightening came and needed to get home before then…

_Home._

"Belle! Belle, wait!" He called to her once he stepped out of the car. She stopped for a moment, watched him reach in the backseat and grab a jacket. He rushed it over to her, handing her the piece of clothing that would keep her fairly dry on her walk home, "Please don't say anything. I…I still need to gather myself and—."

"I get it," she cut him off, slipping on the jacket and pulling the hood over her head. Her piercing blue eyes stared at him through the darkness, "Believe me. I get it." Then she turned away from him, crossing her arms over her chest as her heels clicked against the pavement. She didn't want to turn around and see him still standing there…just as confused and torn as she.

She wished she didn't give him her name.

That was not at all a proper way to be introduced…

The whole walk home, she couldn't help but wish that she would run into him sometime. Just to let her know he was looking for her…was worried about her.

**_Turnaround, every now and then I get a little bit restless and I dream of something wild…_**

But it wasn't until she saw home at the end of the street and saw lightening flash across the sky and heard thunder roar in her ears that she realized her wish wasn't going to come true.

Her heels stopped clicking once she reached the steps leading up to the house…his house…their house…

He must have heard her. The door with the stained glass windows flew open and he appeared in the doorway. The light from the parlor gave him a glow, but she saw how tightly his hands gripped his cane.

"Belle…my darling, you're still here." He seemed to be in disbelief. Why?

"Why?" she heard herself asking aloud.

"That's a question I ask myself every day," he answered with strain in his voice. He reached out a hand, silently beckoning her to come up and meet him.

"No," she denied, but remained where she stood on the wet sidewalk, "I mean, why did you think I wouldn't be here?"

Rumpelstiltskin pressed his lips together, immediately realizing that she wasn't going to budge until he told her the story, "I tried to find you…but when Red told me she saw you walking toward the outskirts of town…I thought I knew what you were doing there."

Passion and anger burst in her heart at his calm words, "And you didn't come try to stop me?! You were just going to let me leave Storybrooke?!"

"No one decides your fate but you, dearie."

She gaped at him, the hood falling off her head as she looked up, "You _wanted _me to leave!"

Without waiting for a response, she turned back around and began walking away again. She pulled the hood up over her head again, her heavy breaths coming out in puffs as she walked briskly.

"Belle…Belle, no, wait! Stop!" She heard his cane hit the first step…the second step…the third step…

But she continued to walk, her heels louder than his cane. She was done…

Done.

Done always coming back to him. Done having him push her away. She thought it would be different. She tried to make it different.

"Belle! Please…wait!" she heard him call out from down the street, her legs having already taken her a great distance. She heard him curse his bad leg, and she suddenly felt it unfair to run away so quickly without giving him the time or opportunity to catch her.

But again, that's a lie…she's given him plenty of opportunities to catch her. Yet still, she finds her legs stopping and her body spinning around to face the man limping towards her.

"I'm tired of the lies, Rumpelstiltskin! I'm tired of the deception and secrets! Don't you think you should at least let _me _in?! Who am I to you? Why don't you trust me? What are you so scared of? Why are you being such a coward?!"

The whole time she yelled, he got closer and closer to her. His suit became darker as the rain splattered on him, strands of hair sticking to his forehead and the sides of his face. She let him reach her, expecting him to say the right words to bring her back, but instead he wrapped his hand around her shoulder and pulled her against him. His lips easily found hers. When her head tilted back, the hood fell off, and she felt the rain hit her closed eyes.

**_Turnaround, every now and then I get a little bit helpless and I'm lying like a child in your arms…_**

She responded to his kiss, because despite all the anger raging in her, kissing him was the one thing she could never get enough of. It was due to all those times when she was first falling in love with him and couldn't kiss him. Because of fear of rejection. Whether she was in love with him or not, if she wasn't positive that he loved her, she was not going to make a move.

But did he love her? She felt it in his kiss. Yes.

Gripping onto his suit, she held him close as their lips moved against each other.

"Belle…" he whispered her name when he parted from her, their breath still mingling together, "Let's get out of the rain. Come."

Though she wished she could fight out her anger a bit more, catching a cold was not going to help matters any. She nodded once before turning and walking with him back to their house. She helped him up the stairs, only letting him go once they got inside.

"Where did you get that jacket?" he asked her when she slipped it off to put it on the hook by the door.

"A very nice man gave it to me," she responded without hesitance, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"I see," was the only thing he said, though his eyes clouded over a bit at her mysteriousness. "Well how about you change out of those clothes, hm? You're probably freezing."

Closing her eyes for a few moments, she made sure to look him straight in his when she opened them, "Tell me about your son."

He seemed startled that she brought him up, how out of the blue it was. The last time she ever asked about him was right before she tried to break his curse.

"We've been over this," he said gently yet firmly, "I lost him."

He walked around her into the dining area, but she was prepared for this. She followed him step by step, harshness in her voice, "Yes, I understand that, but why won't you give me some details? Tell me about him…tell me about you. The _real _you. How you were before…before becoming The Dark One."

"_That _me is irrelevant. I'm not that man anymore and I don't wish to speak about it." Came his end-of-discussion reply as he set the kettle on the stove to make tea.

"I'm tired of not knowing you!" Belle shouted, her anger from earlier rising again, "You know why I was near the outskirts of Storybrooke! You were just going to let me leave! I don't understand how you can make the same mistake of letting me get away again!"

Rumpelstiltskin leaned against the counter and stared at Belle…at his Belle…his beautiful Belle. He realized he had been pushing her to her limits, especially over the last few days. He hadn't been spending very much time with her, and what little time was spent with her, was spent avoiding the questions of what he's been doing.

"You would have been freeing yourself," he finally told her.

"Stop using all my words against me!" She snapped instantaneously, her fists clenching and her body shaking from wrath and from the chill of her wet clothes, "In fact, maybe you should stop denying things and speaking in riddles and use your _own _words for a change," She walked up to him, staring straight into his eyes with defiance, "I love you, Rumpelstiltskin, but I don't even _know _you! How strange is that?"

He licked his lips when he felt them go dry. He looked up to the ceiling, but it was only briefly, for she laid her hands on the sides of his face to make him look at her. Her eyes were damp, desperate, "Can't I know you?"

His own eyes became desperate as he searched hers, "No. There's nothing…good to tell."

Belle's eyes widened for a second, but then she threw a question at him that she knew he couldn't avoid, "Are you saying your son's not good?"

He smirked at her, "Now who's turning words against who?"

She didn't answer, but stood her ground. Sighing, he made sure his cane was propped against the counter before reaching up with both hands and taking hers into his. He brought them to his chest, "My son's name is Baelfire."

"Baelfire," Belle said it aloud, seeing how it sounded in her voice and tried to picture the man she met in the car to match it, "What a beautiful name."

"It means 'great fire.' He always had such…strong energy. He was one to be admired," he spoke of his son, a small smile tugging at his lips but lines forming on his face to show his resistance to break down talking about the one person that caused this whole curse thing to happen.

The tea kettle began to whistle, and Belle allowed him to step away from her to turn off the dial and pour the hot water into two teacups he had sitting out. She saw that he needed to sit, so she pulled out two chairs for them and sat down at the table, placing her hot cup down. When he took his own seat, she scooted herself closer to him and rested her hand on his knee, "Tell me more."

Rumpelstiltskin stared at her, for some reason still finding it hard to believe that such a wonderful person could be so interested in him. If she knew anything of how he was before he gained his powers…she would not look at him that way any longer…

**_Turnaround, every now and then I get a little bit angry and I know I've got to get out and cry…_**

"Belle, I…" he started, his accent deep with regret and sorrow, "I can't. I don't want you to know."

She felt like she was falling apart. He didn't want her to know…

Didn't want her to…

She tried to swallow her hurt and understand that it was still going to take a lot more time than just a few weeks to get him to open up, "Okay…but I just want to remind you…that I've already fallen in love with you. Nothing is going to change that."

He stared down at his teacup. It wasn't the chipped cup…that cup was reserved for only special occasions, if that. His finger circled the rim briefly, "Is that what you were thinking when you were about to step out of Storybrooke?"

"Partly," she agreed, lifting up her cup and drinking the hot liquid, allowing the heat to spread through her shivering body.

Seeing this, he shook his head, "You should really get out of those clothes, Belle."

"Right," she responded reluctantly though she's not quite sure why. She became aware of the rain hitting the rooftop and the distant roll of thunder that sounded like it was now going away from Storybrooke. Taking a few more sips of her tea, she finally stood. She placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it to let him know that she was still willing to listen. The silent message seemed to be transmitted perfectly in her touch, for he closed his eyes in both pain and joy.

**_Turnaround, every now and then I know you'll never be the boy you always wanted to be…_**

Her hand then slipped from his shoulder as she made her exit from the room. She walked slowly up the stairs as if he body suddenly weighed a ton. She didn't get anything she wanted out of him and yet she stayed. She was a fool to think she would have acted otherwise.

When she reached the second floor, she turned right into her room. Not their room. Her room. Her lonely room. Her room had a connecting bathroom to it, which she supposed was nice, and a long, hot shower could have possibly done wonders at the moment, but she felt she didn't have the strength to make it through one.

All she could think about was Rumpelstiltskin not letting her in. Still. And her random chance encounter with Baelfire. Maybe once Baelfire makes his way back into his father's life, things will change around…Rumpelstiltskin won't have to hide behind a mask of secrecy any longer. Things will change.

Things will change.

_Things will change._

Her heart shattered when she realized that her mind was trying to convince her of something she wasn't even sure could be true anymore. Her breathing became labored as she stripped out of her wet clothes and threw each item into the hamper by the bathroom. She suddenly felt stuck and it was tearing her apart.

A sharp sob escaped from her sore mouth. Her lips were tired of frowning, but it was beginning to get hard to turn it around. She slipped on a long, cotton nightgown over her head, feeling the soft fabric glide against her still cold and damp skin.

She reached back and flipped her hair over the gown, knowing that she should at least dry it before it soaked through her fresh clothes.

But she was frozen when two arms circled around her from behind, pulling her close against his form. She turned her head slightly to the side, feeling his breath on the side of her face.

His voice came out in a harsh whisper when he asked, "Why'd you come back?"

**_Turnaround, every now then I know you'll always be the only boy who wanted me the way that I am…_**

Belle closed her eyes, his words taking her back to another time…another place, "I wasn't going to," she answered, her voice barely audible. She placed her hands over his arms that circled across her midriff, "But then something changed my mind."

Her breath got caught in her throat when he pressed his lips to the side of her forehead. His stubble on his chin scraped gently against her already sensitive skin, and she leaned back into him, urging him to continue.

He kissed down the side of her face, his hand reaching up to cup her chin when his lips reached her jaw. He tilted her head back further as he planted his love on her neck. Her soft sighs reached his ears and he gripped onto her a bit tighter. His lips didn't leave her skin as he spoke, "You know I'll never be the man you want me to be…"

"Don't say that," she whispered, turning herself around in his arms. She placed her hands on his shoulders before sliding them to his face, making sure he was looking straight at her, "Despite what you may think, I'm not trying to change you…I just want you to be more open with me."

Leaning down, he pressed his forehead to hers, "I don't want to disappoint you."

"Being in the dark is the only disappointment."

"But isn't that the only thing you get with me?" He countered, referring to his highly dominant dark side.

Belle bit her lower lip and sighed deeply. A shadow was taking over her heart and it needed light so desperately. "It's not the only thing. You support me, you protect me, you love me…those are not disappointments."

"Yes, but I—."

Belle chuckled quickly and shook her head, "_Stop _trying to push me away. It's not going to work."

A small smirk started on his lips before he released his own short chuckle, "I just don't want you to feel trapped…"

"Yes, but…" She stood on her tiptoes while pressing him down to her so their lips met in the middle, "You already proved the 'if you love someone, let them go' motto. It's time to find another one."

"And what could that be?" he muttered as he kissed her again before once more trailing his lips down the side of her face.

Belle closed her eyes and tipped her head to the side to allow him more access, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder?"

"That is does…" He felt his love shiver when his teeth gently scraped across her skin, her hands squeezing her hips before bringing her body forward. She tangled her fingers in his hair, tugging on it as soft sighs escaped her lips.

**_Turnaround, every now and then I know there's no one in the universe as magical and wondrous as you…_**

Her eyes shot open when she heard a sound…a sound that seemed distant, almost non-existent, but still too prevalent to ignore.

"Did you hear that?"

Rumpelstiltskin stopped and listened with her. Two seconds passed. Three. Four. He opened his mouth to deny hearing anything, when the noise came again. It was a banging. On the front door downstairs.

And Belle felt her heart flutter and come alive inside her chest. It was him…it _had _to be him.

_Please let it be him…_

She couldn't hide the large, dazzling smile that lit up her face, "He came…"

"Who?" he asked incredulously, wondering if the "he" she was referring to was the one that gave her his jacket.

But she didn't answer. Her mouth was already beginning to hurt from smiling so big, but it was a good kind of pain. Finally. A pain worth having. A smile worth saving. A hope worth life. She grabbed onto his hand and pulled him toward her door, wishing to get downstairs as fast as possible.

_Things are about to change…everything's going to fall into place…_

Her eagerness almost frightened her, because despite all the optimism running through her veins, there was still a sense of deep, forbidding doubt. If this didn't work…what will?

**_Turnaround, every now and then I know there's nothing any better and there's nothing that I just wouldn't do…_**

"Belle! Tell me what's going on!" Rumpelstiltskin demanded, though Belle hardly listened to his words. She pulled them both into the hallway, stopping about twenty feet from the door. She saw a figure standing outside on the porch.

"Go! Answer it!" Belle pushed him forward, though continued to stand there with her hands clasped in front of her. Rumpelstiltskin was shooting her odd, confused looks but limped to the door anyway, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Belle sucked in a deep breath as she watched him slowly unlock the door. Her smile was still plastered on her face and she had to close her eyes from the dizzy sensation rushing through her veins.

He opened the door.

And she crossed her fingers and prayed.

_Finally, no more falling apart._

**_Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time, I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark…_**

**Once upon a time I was falling in love**

**Now I'm only falling apart.**

**Once upon a time there was light in my life**

**Now there's only love in the dark.**


End file.
